The Don'ts of the Rich and Famous
by StoryReader888
Summary: Ted DiBiase has always used his money and fame to impress his girlfriends. But what happens when the girl he likes doesn't care about money, and is pushed farther away everytime he offers to buy her something?


**[$]The "DON'T"s of the Rich and Famous[$]**

_"Money isn't everything, and it sure as hell does not make me want you. I won't accept your jewelry or any other present. Don't take me shopping or buy me clothes that cost $1,000. Don't try to take me to a fancy restraunt where the salad alone costs 200 bucks. Don't flaunt your cash, and keep talking about how you can afford anything and everything. It'll only make me dislike you that much more._

_Don't offer to buy me a new car; I'm just fine walking. Don't threaten to buy the store if the manager pisses you off, and don't complain when I ask for something simple that doesn't cost a fortune. Don't talk about how you're better than everyone, just because you have wealth and fame._

_Don't just show me your love through your money._

_Prove it to me."_

**DON'T Number 1**

**DON'T** _try to buy me Jewelry._

"Where are we going?" Ember muttered, staring out the window at the passing buildings. Being with Ted usually put her in a bad mood to begin with, but when he started taking her around whichever city they happened to be in at the time, it began to make her annoyance worse, and very much known.

Ted glanced at her before returning his eyes to the road. "I'm taking you to the Jewelry store. They have some really nice diamonds here."

She scowled, turning to glare at him. "I don't want Jewelry. And I don't want diamonds!"

"Money is no object."

"Like I don't know that? I know how much money you have, I just don't care!"

"Stop being difficult."

"I'm not being difficult! I told you I don't want the shit, and you're forcing it on me! We aren't even together!"

At the last comment, his grip on the steering wheel increased. He was well aware that they weren't together, even though he had been trying to make her his; she was just so difficult sometimes. With a sigh, he parked the car and pulled her into the shop, despite her protests. Once inside, he finally released her wrist and walked across the large room to the other side, where a case larger than the rest stood.

Ember stayed by the door, her hands in her pockets and a scowl on her face. She's heard of people forcing others to eat healthy food before, but forcing someone to wear diamonds? Come on, now! Glancing at the case closest to her, her scowl deepened. $5,000 for one ring? And that was only the first case! The farther along you went, the higher the price rose.

"Ember," Ted motioned for her to come over, having found something that he thought she'd like. With reluctance, she slowly started towards him when his phone rang. Still walking like a snail, she watched as he pulled his phone out and pressed it to his ear. "Hello?... What do you want, Maryse?"

Ember froze mid step at the name, a grin slowly working onto her lips. Knowing Maryse - Ted's Ex -, she'd blabber into his ear for hours on end, no matter how many times he attempted to end the conversation. Being distracted with her, Ember could slip away without a problem.

And that's just what she did. She slowly backed up, keeping her eyes on Ted's back. Once she felt the glass door behind her, she gave it a push and booked it, taking off down the street.

"No, Maryse, I do **not** want to get back together." Ted sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as she carried on. "Uh-huh." he shut his phone, cutting her off in the middle of her sentence. Shaking his head, he turned around to apologize to Ember, only to find her gone. Ted leaned back against the case, throwing his head back to stare at the ceiling.

**DON'T Number 2**

**DON'T** _take me shopping._

"This is pointless." Ember muttered as Ted dragged her through the mall, his hand firmly around her wrist to avoid a repeat of the other day. They had been in the mall for over two hours now, and were carrying quite a few bags. Ember made it a point to look at nothing but the floor beneath her, because every time she looked at something, Ted bought it without hesitation. Then again, he'd probably try to buy the floor, to...

"Can I _please_ go back to the hotel?"

"No." he glanced back at her. "We haven't even gotten that much."

"Are you kidding me? Ten bags, filled to the very top, is 'not that much'? Are you crazy?"

"You're being difficult again." he sighed, dragging her into an electronics store.

"You're being ridiculous again." she retorted.

"HD or 3D?" he asked, looking through the selection of TV's.

"Neither!"

"How about both?"

"How about '_Go To Hell_'?"

"Ember - "

"No, Ted." she shoved the bags into his arms. "I am going back to the hotel room, **without** all this useless shit that I told you _not_ to buy."

Ted watched as she stormed out of the store, a sea of colorful words trailing after her. What did he have to do to make her happy? What would it take to make her his?

She was so difficult.

So very, very difficult.

**DON'T Number 3**

**DON'T** _complain when I ask for something simple and unexpensive._

Ted had tried Jewelry, and that didn't work (partially thanks to Maryse for providing the distraction). He had tried a shopping spree in the mall, and that just pissed her off. So he decided to level with her, and ask her where she wanted to go.

After getting the directions and parking the car, it was his turn to scowl. He followed after her as she entered the store called _Books-A-Million_; an old raggedy building, in his opinion. He kept his mouth shut as he followed her through the shelves and shelves of old raggedy books with teeny tiny prices. After about five minutes, she picked up a book and handed it to him.

"Since you're so insistant on buying me something, buy me that." she told him, folding her arms over her chest.

"This?" he questioned, examining the book before checking the price. "Babe, this is only ten dollars... Don't you want something a bit... _better_?"

"Price doesn't always match quality." she scowled. "And, in my world, you don't find books that cost ten thousand."

He knew that scowl, and knew where it was heading. Reluctantly, he purchased the book for her, but it was still bugging him. "Since it's so... _cheap_.. wouldn't you like to get more than _one_? Say... maybe a hundred?"

Ember refused the urge to hit him in the head with the book, and instead settled for an exasperated sigh. "Just take me back to the hotel, DiBiase."

Ted looked over at her. She was sat with her head against the car window, eyes closed and the corners of her lips pulled down into a frown. He stared at her for several minutes, racking his brain for a way to please her. On Maryse, and every other girl he had ever dated, all he had to do was _mention_ buying them something and they were ecstatic. But here he was, buying Ember the whole world, and it seemed only to make her unhappy. Was she just messing with his mind? Was it all just a test? And being called by his last name wasn't missed by the wrestler, either. He felt as if the relationship he had worked so hard to build was about to come crashing down ontop of him.

**DON'T Number 4**

**DON'T** _talk like you're better, just because you have wealth and fame._

"It was pretty hilarious. Kyle had decided that he wanted to start dancing, so he broke down right in the middle of Walmart!" Ember laughed. "Though, I'm not so sure what he was doing could be considered dancing..."

Ted sat in the arm chair, watching and listening as his soon-to-be girlfriend carried on about this... _Kyle_ person. He wasn't happy, of course. "What do you see in him, anyway?" he questioned after she stopped laughing. "He's not that great."

"You talk as if we're dating or something." she shook her head. "You know Kyle is just my best friend."

"He's not good enough for you." he continued, having not even heard a single word she had said. "He's not that good looking, he has a very small bank account, virtually noone knows who he is, and those who do know him knows he's a loser."

Ember's eyes narrowed, angry at the thought of her friend being talked about like that. "Where do you get off, huh? You think you're better, just because you're filthy rich and on TV? You think everyone is below you because you've got fame, and a fortune to match? Well, let me tell you something, Theodore Marvin DiBiase, Jr.," she was standing up now, glaring down at the male with a rage he had not seen before. "I'd choose plain old, unfamous, **poor** Kyle over _you_, any day!"

Ted sat there, eyes wide in disbelief. He heard her shuffling around in the bedroom, but he was in too much shock to get up and see what she was doing. Noone had _ever_ spoken to him like that before. But that wasn't what bothered him. No, he was bothered by the fact that she would choose another man over himself. He was confused as to _why_ she'd choose a nobody like Kyle over him, who had money, fame, talent, looks, and brains to match.

Ember exited the bedroom, her messenger bag around her neck and backpack slung over her shoulder. She forced out a harsh "Goodbye" and exited the hotel room. But Ted was still in shock, and didn't hear what she had said. Or perhaps his brain just refused to register the words, because he didn't want to face the fact that he had lost her, before ever having her to begin with.

**DON'T Number 5**

**DON'T** _just show me your love through your money. Prove it to me._

It had been about two weeks since Ember washed her hands of Ted DiBiase and, even though it made her realize that she had, in fact, fallen in love with him, she had no intention of returning to his side.

They had changed cities by now, but that didn't matter. Noone was even sure that Ted realized he was in a different state. He'd barely said a word after she left and, even though he continued his job, it was obvious his game was off; he just wasn't himself. He knew that she was staying just down the hall with John Morrison, a close friend of hers, but he couldn't bring himself to go down there. He had no clue what to say, because he had no clue what he had done wrong.

John sat next to Ember on the couch, glancing at her every few minutes. He wanted to bring up the subject of Ted DiBiase, but he also knew it was a mine field and, with his jeans being brand new - hardly a day old -, he didn't want to risk having them go up in flames.

"What, John?" she asked him lazily.

"What what?" was his _innocent _counter.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm waiting for the talk. It's been two weeks, I know it's comin'."

John nodded. "Yes, Yes. But for the record, these are brand new pants."

She raised an eyebrow, glancing at his hands which were lightly tugging at the fabric covering his legs. "You're crazy."

He chuckled, his lips curling up into a grin. "Tell me what he did wrong."

"Well, it's not really him doing something _wrong_, it's just... he doesn't get it." she leaned her head on the back of the couch, trying to properly phrase what she wanted to say. "He's always buying me expensive shit, which I am greatful that he's willing to do that for me, but... it's just too much. I don't feel comfortable recieving so many gifts. I mean, it wouldn't be so bad, if he didn't spend thousands of dollars."

"A thousand is probably like one dollar to him." John mused. "Have you told him how you feel?"

"Sort of..."

"Sort of? How so?"

"I haven't told him _why_, but I **have** told him that I want him to stop buying me things, but he just brushes it off and says I'm being 'difficult'." she used air quotes to make her point and John laughed.

"You should try explaining it. He's used to spending alot of money on his girl. And since you're not dating him, he's probably trying to impress you."

"Maybe." she folded her hands behind her head. "But if he knew anything about me, he'd know it takes more than money to get my attention."

"Good point."

Ted still didn't understand why Ember was so upset, but he was determined to find out; he deserved that much. Randy raised an eyebrow as Ted rushed past him in the hallway, a determined expression on his face. When he reached John's room, he raised his fist to pound on the door, but it swung open before he got the chance. John stood on the other side, a surprised look on his face; he hadn't been expecting someone to be there when he opened it.

Ted opened his mouth to speak, but John shook his head and held his hand up. "Don't have time. Ember's watching TV." With that said, the Shaman of Sexy rushed past him and towards the elevator. Ted wasted no time in entering the hotel room and shutting the door behind him. Ember was sitting on the couch watching TV and playing with the ring she had taken from Josh Matthews. When he shut the TV off and moved to stand infront of her, he expected her to glare or scowl, but instead she simply looked up at him curiously.

"We need to talk."

Ember nodded, patting the empty spot beside her on the couch. Ted smiled, happy that she wasn't angry and took his place beside her, his arm wrapping around her shoulder.

He rubbed her bare arm up and down slowly. "Tell me what I did wrong, baby."

"You're too persistant, Ted. I hate you spending so much money on me. It makes me feel uncomfortable." she turned, resting her head against his shoulder and setting her hand on his chest, right over his heart. "You just don't understand."

"Then make me understand." his hand traveled up her arm to her hair, allowing his fingers to brush through her silky black locks.

"Tell me, why do you want to buy me things so bad?" she asked, looking up at him.

"To show you how much I love you." he responded simply.

"Ted." she groaned, slapping her forehead. "Do you know nothing about me? Buying me expensive gifts does **not** show me how much you love me. If you truely love me, then **prove **it. And not with money."

Ted was quiet, absentmindedly playing with her hair. After a few minutes, he shifted, bringing Ember up so that she was straddling him. He smiled at her confused expression, placing a chaste kiss on her lips. "I can do that."

"I'm looking forward to it." she grinned, her forehead leaning against his own.

It took him awhile, but he finally realized that love can't be bought, and that money wasn't how you showed someone you loved them.


End file.
